Surface construction for ceilings, walls, and the like



F. G. DRESSER Filed.4 Oct. 2l,l 1939 SURFACE CONSTRUCTION FOR CEILINGS,WALLS, AND'THE LIKE moet; 15, 17940.

` Patented oa, 1s, 1940 Y t 4uisu'rlti) sTATl-:s PATENT; OFFICE2,213,378 y SURFACE CONSTRUCTION Fon cEILINGs, WALLS, AND 'rnELIxE tFrank G. Dresser, Providence, VR.. I. Application October 21, 1939,Serial No. 300,507

` 4 claims. (cl. 'zz-2s) This invention relates to improvements insurface constructions for ceilings, walls and the like. More especiallyit provides improvements in surface constructions ofthe general typedisclosed in my co-pending application for patent Serial No. 274,893,led May 22, 1939, but which are particularly applicable to regions, suchas ceilings of buildings, where plaster or the like may not'be aconstituent part of the structure.

The invention is herein disclosed as embodied in the construction of aceiling and the Walls of a building, but it will be obvious that thestructural features hereinafter-disclosed have general application wherean inexpensive, permanent and attractive composite-block surface isdesired.

It is amon'g the objects of the invention to pro-v vide plate-likeconstruction units having hard, durable and attractive faces, and whoserear sides are of material which has a" strong'ailinity for adhesives,whereby the units may be quickly and effectively associated together, inedge to edge relation, on a suitable support, and be securely andpermanently held by an adhesive.

Another object is to vprovide a support for the units having a surfaceof material which itself f has a strong affinity for adhesives, topromote the said security and permanence of the associated units.

Other features relate to the composite structure of the units and to themanner of assembling their component parts, all of which will moreparticularly appear in connection with the following detaileddescription.

The mentioned objects and results may be attained by employingrectangular plate units of sheet stock, preferably sheet metal, of anysuitable area, which may be arranged edge to edge in rows, or instaggered relation, across and along the ceiling or other region whichis being treated. The units preferably will be a. composite of materialswith a stili metal body which may be faced with aluminum and backed by amaterial having a strong affinity for adhesives. The exposed aluminumface may be oxidized to provide an extremely hard surface withattractive color effects. The backing material preferably will be inblock form for tting within side flanges on the iron bodies, and may besecurely held therein by any suitable mechanical fastening devices.

The support for the units conveniently may be sheet material such as:libre board which will be nailed or otherwise secured to the usualbeams of a ceiling, or to the studding in walls. Preparatory to mountingthe surface units, the surface of the bre board, and the back sides ofthe units will be coated with shellac or other suitable adhesive, afterwhich the units may bermounted by merely pressing thecoated back of eachunit against the coated surface of the support. The n adhesive will besuillciently tacky to initially hold 5 the units wherever they may beplaced on the supporting fibre board, and, after setting, provides astrong and durableunion between the backs of the units and the support.

The units may be formed, some with plane 10 faces and some with angularfaces, the latter for fitting corners at the junctures of walls and ofwalls with ceiling.

It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression inthe appended claims, whatl5 ever features of patentable novelty exist inthe invention disclosed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective illustrating an upper corner of a room, at thejuncture of walls with 20 ceiling, and showing a ceiling and wallstructure embodying features of my invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation in section thru a fragment of the ceiling ofFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective ofthe facing element 2,5

of one of my surface units;

Figure 4 is a perspective of the body or lining element which fitswithin the facing element of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a perspective of a block of backing 30 material which fitswithin the lining element of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectional view, on a larger scale, thru a completedsurface unit, and showing the securing means for holding the backingmaterial within the lining; and

Figures 7 and 8 show units suitable for corner locations.

Referring to the drawing, the 4beams 6, and

use at the studding 8 may be regarded a`s representa- 4otiveof the framestructures customarily found respectively at ceiling and at walllocations in buildings. They are utilized, according to my presentinvention, for mounting sheet material which in turn supports themultiplicity of surface units i0, I2 hereinafter described in detail inconnection with the detail illustrations in the drawing. The sheetmaterial may be any suitably strong and porous stock having strongafnity for ordinary adhesives, but I prefer to employ one of theavailable materials commonly referred to as fibre board which, insuitably large sheets I4, may be nailed tothe beams 6 in the ceilingregion, and to the studding 8 in the wall 55 regions, if the ceiling andwalls are to be similarly treated.

Each surface unit I comprises a. facing element I6 in the form of aflanged rectangular fil ' plate, a rectangular body or lining element I8similarly flanged and of size to nicely llt within the flange of thefacing element, and a rectangular backing element 20 for fitting withinthe flange of the lining element.

The facing element I6 and the lining element I8 may be made of anysuitably strong and durable material but I prefer to employ aluminum forthe facing and iron for the lining. In Figure 3, such an aluminum facingelement is represented as stamped out of sheet stock, with a pluralityof tongues 22 formed at each edgeof flange, some of which at each sideare to be turned inward as retainers for the liningv I8, and some ofwhich on two adjacent sides are to be Vturned outward to serve asspacers between units.

The lining element I8 similarly may be stamped out of sheet stock and,as seen .in Figure 4, a plurality of retaining tongues 24 areprovided onthe plate body of the lining, projecting rearward in parallelism with.the flanges, these .tongues being adapted to extend .thru the backingelement 20 and to be bent over against :the back surface of Ithatelement to retain the backing within thelining element.

Figure represents va backing element 20 in block form `whichconveniently may be stamped or cut from 4any suit-able strong andIadequately porous sheet stock. Preferably it will be of fibrouscomposition material, such as one of the available products generallyreferred to as fibre board. Each block is formed with a plurality ofholes 26 for receiving the tongues 24 of the lining, and a depression 28adjacent to each hole, at the back surface of the block, constitutes aseat into which the turned over por-tion of a tongue 24 may seat so asto-rest below the plane of the back surface of the block. As represented,

the .tongues 22 on each side for retaining the n lining, and theben-ding outward of others of the Itongues 22 on two adjacent sides, toserve as as spacers between units. Then a backing block 20 is insertedwithin .the lining with the A,tongues 24extending thru ,the holes 26, tobe bent Iagainst the block, into thedepressions 28 at rthe back of `theblock. The unit is now ready for mounting on a fibre boa-rd support I4.

Assuming .that a multiplicity of the surface units I0 are ready formounting, shellac or any other suitable adhesive is smeared over thesui'- face of the fibre board support I4, and over the brous backs ofthe surface units. Then the units may be stuck .to the support in edgeto edge'arrangement, rto provide ahard, attractive and durable surfacefor ceiling or wall, or other object, as the case may be. n

Angular shaped surface units I2 may be provided for corner locations, asrepresented in Figure 7, and as shown embodied in the construction ofFigure 1,` In Ethis case the lining and the fibrous backing preferablywill be each in two In Figure'8 another angular form of surface unit -isrepresented, suitable for projecting corners. Y

It will be obvious that my invention provides an effective andeconomical surfacing for cellings, walls and the like without need forplaster to hold the surface units.

I claim:

1. A surface construction unit for ceilings andV l of the lining wherebysaidunit may be bound by adhesion to a support.

. 2. A surface construction uni-t for ceilings and t-he like, comprisinga rectangular lining element of strong and stiff metal and, fittinglover said element, fa flanged facing element of relatively thin metaladapted to provide a hard and attnactive surface and having means forholding the lining Within its flanges; retaining elements projectingrearward from said lining; and a block of fibrous material backing saidlining element; there being 'holes thru said blockand said retainingelemen-ts of fthe lining extending thru the holes and having their endpontions bent into retaining engagement with the block.

3. A surf-ace construction unit as in claim 2, wherein there is -adepression in the back surface of .the block adjacent to each said hole,and said bent portions of .the retaining elements being seated in saiddepressions.

4. A surface constructionunit for ceilings and the like, comprising aflanged facing element of relatively thin light metal adapted to providea hard and attractive surface, a lining element of strong and stiffmetal fitting within said facing element, an element of fibrous materialbacking said lining element, and means binding said elements together toform said unit.

FRANK G. DRESSER.

